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Thursday, November 29, 2012

I am knee deep in Christmas decorations at the moment and it pretty much looks like a total disaster around here! I'm hoping to turn the corner today, you know that moment when it all starts coming together. I like to incorporate lots of natural elements into my holiday decor - fresh greens, berries and pinecones.

And this year, the pinecones went a little frosty!

We have several large pines in our yard. They actually started out as our Christmas trees many years ago. We all still marvel at how large those tress are now. If you've never bought a live tree and planted it, I highly recommend it! And we always have lots of pinecones. But with the help of Sandy's wind, this year we have more pinecones on the ground than ever! A few weeks ago, the entire yard was covered and we had to gather them just to mow the lawn. I never even got around to collecting the ones under the trees.

They were still damp from the rain, so I brought them in the house and spread them out on a sheet to dry. The best part was that the heat of the house made them open even more - a nice surprise!

Last year I gave a batch of pinecones a quick shot of spray adhesive and glittered them. They were really pretty. But I love snow, so this year I decided they needed to be a little more frosty. So first I started with paint.

I used some leftover latex paint and brushed it on with a nice wide brush - quick and easy. If you are just painting a few pinecones, a little bottle of craft paint would work just fine.

The beauty of the big bucket was that it contained the splatters (yes I'm messy) and I could tap the pinecone on the inside of the bucket to remove the excess paint and catch the drips.

Then while the paint was wet, I just sprinked the pinecone with glitter. I used a plastic bowl underneath so I could recyle the glitter that didn't stick.

This is not a project for expensive fancy glitter. This is my favorite glitter for snowy projects. It looks like little white snow crystals, plus it comes in a nifty shaker jar and is very inexpensive. I buy it at Michaels in the kid's craft section. I love this stuff!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

We're still a few days away from the first of December, but the excitement and anticipation of Christmas is definitely in the air! I'm breaking out the tubs of holiday decorations today. I can hardly wait to get started. And you can tell that I spent time with Megan over the weekend, I just love my festive holiday header!

And let me just say once again, picking just a few features is really hard! You are all so talented and I'm honored that you take the time to share here! These are just a few of the awesome links that caught my eye this week...

Sue from Uniquely Chic shared this curvy blue dresser with a gorgeous wood stained top! I have the perfect spot for this one!

I love this beautiful antique desk transformation in turquoise from Shanna at Restoration Redoux!

And seriously, can be believe that this stunning vanity from Dear Emmeline started out as a bulk trash rescue?

It's A Wonderful Life was the inspiration for this beautiful old window project from A Few Pennies!

And Santa provided the inspiration for a couple of chair painting girls! This whimsical Santa came from Deb at Lake Girl Paints.

Friday, November 23, 2012

You know that the holiday season has officially arrived in our community when the Festival of Wreaths begins. The wreath auction is a fundraising event for our local arts council. Over 220 wreaths are decorated, donated and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Here's our entry for 2012!

It's very sparkly!

This is our third year participating. Our goal is always to create a vintage inspired wreath that we feel represents what we do at Elizabeth & Co. Our 2010 wreath featured vintage ornaments and was attached to a window frame. Old toys spilled out of the window box.

Our 2011 wreath hung on an old window and featured a stocking made from a ticking fabric, along with vintage ornaments, burlap ribbon and glitter letters that spelled Joy.

We really like the idea of attaching our wreath to something to make it a little more interesting, so this year we decided to use a chalkboard with a beautifully detailed frame.

So did you notice what we used to decorate our wreath this year? Something that we usually have in abundance at our tag sales - lovely vintage jewelry!

Along with the chalkboard, I think my favorite elements are the pearls and the crystal compote!

The whole wreath got a light dusting of snow and glitter.

And of course every wreath needs a little ribbon and a pretty bow!

So there you have it, our vintage inspired wreath for 2012!

If you are a local reader, the Festival of Wreaths is open daily from 10 AM to 7 PM beginning Saturday, November 24th and runs through Sunday, December 1st at the Carroll County Arts Council in Westminster, Maryland. This is a free event and fun for the entire family! And if you can make it on the 24th, be sure to check out the free showing of Miracle on 34th Street in the beautifully restored theatre at the Arts Council at 3 PM. Then walk right outside and watch the Miracle on Main Street electrical light parade roll down Main Street at 5 PM - sooo much fun and what a festive way to kick off your holiday season!

Welcome to Elizabeth & Co.

I love all things related to creating a warm and welcoming home. My home is my haven, my sanctuary, my safe place to land. And it's a total work in progress! I team up with the girls to host occasional vintage tag sales. We love refreshing, reusing and repurposing vintage treasures. Transforming vintage furniture is our specialty. And my handmade wreaths are available all year round at ElizabethandCoWreath on Etsy!

ElizabethandCoWreath

Boxwood Wreath with Burlap Bow

Cotton Stems

Buffalo Plaid Boxwood Wreath

Occasional Vintage Tag Sales

Our little house comes to life and overflows with goodness several times a year! Come check out our eclectic mix of vintage pieces, fabulous furniture, repurposed finds and just plain sweet stuff. Every sale is a whole new experience ~ fun, fresh and fabulous! Our mission is to convert the world to vintage, one tag sale at a time!

Vintage Tag Sales 2018

We're all stocked up and ready for another vintage tag sale and it's our Holiday Open House!!! We'll be open on Friday, November 16th and Saturday, November 17th from 9am to 4pm. And our last sale day of the year will be Saturday, December 8th from 9am to 3pm. We are located at 438 East Main Street in Westminster, MD 21157. We restock daily to keep it fun and fresh. And our cash only policy allows us to offer you the very best prices.

If you'd like an email reminder before each sale, just let us know. And be sure to check here on the blog and on our facebook page prior to each sale for sneak peek previews!

Can't make the sale or just need a vintage fix between sales? We are also open by appointment. Just let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate your schedule.